As one of most coveted spectacles in sports and entertainment nowadays, the exhibition baseball team known as the Savannah Bananas head into the 2026 season reinforcing the systems, people and processes that have come to support their national touring operation.
Six teams, including two expansion teams, will crisscross the country in 2026, carrying with them support staff, equipment and merchandise. Games put on by the Bananas are set to once again fill America’s largest baseball and football stadiums, as well as their home field in Savannah, Georgia, and the business behind the show now demands an operational scale that reflects a growing professional sports enterprise.
For Dr. Tim Naddy, vice president of finance for the Bananas, preparation for 2026 means being clear about priorities and building the internal capabilities needed for a growing organization. “We’ve been in hypergrowth the entire time,” Naddy said. “Finance has been in lockstep with operations, and that’s allowed us to stay agile as things continue to expand.”
Heading into the new season, the work is focused on tightening execution, expanding internal skills and preparing systems to support higher volume across that growing number of teams and venues. Those efforts span live events, merchandise, technology, compliance and player education, areas where finance is increasingly involved as the organization scales.
Reinforcing operational priorities as the footprint grows
The Bananas continue to organize their business around a structure that clearly defines what matters most operationally. Internally, Naddy frames that structure as the “diamond” and the “dugout,” a model that helps finance and operations align as volume increases.
“The diamond is the live show,” Naddy said. “That’s tickets, entertainment and everything fans see when they come to a game.” Behind that sits the dugout, which includes merchandise, media production and other support functions that enable the live experience to scale.
“Getting the basics right matters even more as volume increases.”
Dr. Tim Naddy
Vice president of finance, Savannah Bananas
With the two additional teams being incorporated into the touring schedule for 2026, Naddy said the live-event model has become table stakes for finance. He said travel, staffing and logistics scale in predictable ways, allowing the organization to plan with confidence. “You’re multiplying people, travel and venues,” he said. “That’s something we know how to do now.”
The dugout side requires more careful planning, particularly around merchandise. New teams introduce new brands, and inventory decisions carry more uncertainty as fan demand develops. “We want merchandise that fans enjoy and are proud to wear,” Naddy said. “At the same time, these are new brands, so you’re learning how quickly product moves.”
To support that growth, the Bananas recently moved into a 100,000-square-foot merchandise facility just outside of Savannah in Pooler, Georgia, which expands capacity while placing greater emphasis on execution fundamentals. “It’s blocking and tackling,” Naddy said. “Getting the basics right matters even more as volume increases.”
Merchandise sales remain heavily concentrated around live events, where staff can engage directly with fans. Naddy said those in-person interactions are a critical part of the experience. “That’s where customer service really shows up,” he said. “You’re not just selling something, you’re interacting with people face to face.”
Strengthening systems, data and internal skills
Finance continues to play a central role in supporting the Bananas’ operational complexity. Investments in reporting tools and data infrastructure allow the team to respond quickly as schedules, staffing and logistics evolve. “Tools like [Microsoft’s] Power BI allow us to be quicker on the reporting side,” Naddy said. “We can look at historical performance and use that to inform forecasting and planning.”
Those capabilities become especially important during the offseason, when adjustments are tested ahead of a full touring schedule. “We’re making tweaks now that we couldn’t make in season,” Naddy said. “We’re seeing that a lot of those adjustments are easier because we understand where the speed bumps are.”
The Bananas have also refined how they use their ERP system after transitioning to NetSuite. The finance team now uses the platform with most integrations turned off. “We use it as a general ledger,” Naddy said. “The only thing that’s automated is the bank matching.” That decision followed a closer look at transaction volume tied to ecommerce activity, particularly merchandise sales.
“When we unhooked those feeds, our transaction counts dropped dramatically,” he said. “It showed how important it is to understand how transactions are being defined and counted,” Naddy said. The experience reinforced the need for finance leaders to align systems with business reality and internal capabilities. “You have to know exactly what you’re signing up for,” he said.
Compliance remains another area of focus as the Bananas operate across multiple states. All players are classified as W-2 employees on one-year contracts, and payroll taxes are tracked based on where games are played and how long the team operates in each jurisdiction. “We log where players are working and for how long,” Naddy said. “If you’re in a state long enough to trigger payroll tax obligations, you pay there. But we handle the work.”
Upskilling players and expanding the fan experience
Upskilling is a growing priority as the Bananas prepare for 2026, and it extends beyond the back office. One of the most significant initiatives underway is a comprehensive financial education program for players and coaches. “We’re doing a full day of personal financial programming,” Naddy said. “It’s about helping players understand what it means to be a professional athlete financially.”
The program will cover topics including cash flow, taxes, assets, liabilities and long-term planning. Naddy, who moonlights as a professor of finance and accounting at Savannah College of Art and Design, said many players pursue endorsements independently, which makes financial literacy especially important.
“If someone sends you a check, you need to understand that taxes come with it,” he said. “We want players to be prepared for that.” The goal is to equip them with skills that extend beyond their playing careers. “At some point, they move on to their next competitive arena,” Naddy said. “We want them ready for that transition.”
Fan-facing investments are also expanding ahead of the season. Bananas Television, or BTV, will play a larger role in 2026, with plans to support up to three games in a single weekend. Games will continue to be available for free through platforms such as YouTube. “We want people to be able to watch without a paywall,” Naddy said. “Accessibility is important to us.”
Supporting that expansion requires additional investment in production quality and coordination. “We’re focused on making sure the fidelity is consistent,” Naddy said. “Whether it’s the main game or an alternate game, it should feel professional.” The format allows broadcasts to move between games as action unfolds, creating a dynamic viewing experience for fans following multiple teams.
Ticketing remains another area of preparation. As demand continues to outpace supply, the Bananas are developing an internal marketplace that allows fans to resell unused tickets at face value and avoid scalpers and scammers. “We want fans to have a secure way to transfer tickets to other fans,” Naddy said. “It keeps tickets in the community and protects people.”
As the Bananas head into the 2026 season, Naddy said the focus remains consistent across every part of the organization. “Whether it’s a live show, a broadcast or a piece of merchandise,” he said, “the level of energy, professionalism and customer service has to be the same.”
